Houston Astros (30-18, first in the AL West) vs. Oakland Athletics (20-30, fifth in the AL West)
Oakland, California; Monday, 4:07 p.m. EDT
PITCHING PROBABLES: Astros: Framber Valdez (4-2, 2.83 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 43 strikeouts); Athletics: Paul Blackburn (5-0, 1.70 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, 36 strikeouts)
LINE: Astros -182, Athletics +156; over/under is 7 runs
BOTTOM LINE: The Oakland Athletics host the Houston Astros on Monday to begin a three-game series.
Oakland has a 20-30 record overall and a 7-18 record in home games. The Athletics are 14-2 in games when they have more hits than their opponents.
Houston is 30-18 overall and 16-12 in road games. The Astros have a 14-0 record in games when they hit at least two home runs.
The matchup Monday is the first meeting this season between the two teams.
TOP PERFORMERS: Sean Murphy has 14 doubles, a triple, five home runs and 22 RBI for the Athletics. Elvis Andrus is 9-for-34 with two doubles, two home runs and five RBI over the last 10 games.
Yordan Alvarez leads the Astros with 12 home runs while slugging .533. Jose Altuve is 12-for-36 with four doubles, a home run and an RBI over the past 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Athletics: 4-6, .249 batting average, 5.28 ERA, outscored by 12 runs
Astros: 6-4, .229 batting average, 2.45 ERA, outscored by five runs
INJURIES: Athletics: Daulton Jefferies: 60-Day IL (arm), Skye Bolt: 60-Day IL (oblique), Stephen Piscotty: 10-Day IL (calf), Stephen Vogt: 10-Day IL (undisclosed), Deolis Guerra: 60-Day IL (elbow), Brent Honeywell Jr.: 60-Day IL (elbow)
Astros: Kyle Tucker: day-to-day (foot), Jake Odorizzi: 15-Day IL (leg), Taylor Jones: 60-Day IL (back), Lance McCullers Jr.: 60-Day IL (forearm), Jacob Meyers: 10-Day IL (shoulder)
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